London, Sept 7 (ANI): Defence chiefs in the UK are planning a "chilled" reception for the boys returning from a tumultuous Afghanistan to their homeland after a gruelling six months, by handing them beer cans as they board the flight back home.

A "Beer for the boys" campaign has been started to collect cans of lager or bitter for men and women of the returning armed forces.

Many breweries, including Scottish and Newcastle and the Dutch brewery Grolsch, veterans' associations, and City of London guilds have offered thousands of cans.

However, the team at Brize Norton, which manages the flights of the RAF, wants more beer.

"I felt it would be a nice thing to do on behalf of a grateful nation and the RAF," the Daily Star quoted Wing Commander Steve Chadwick, who initiated the "Beer for the boys" campaign, as saying.

"A can of cold beer thrust into the hand of a soldier marks the point when he knows he is going home after six months of fighting," he added. (ANI)